This invention is generally directed to imaging members with polysilylenes therein, and more specifically the present invention is directed to photoresponsive imaging members containing as hole transporting substances oxygenated polysilylene compositions. In one important embodiment of the present invention there is provided a layered photoresponsive imaging member comprised of an oxygenated polysilylene hole transporting compound and a photogenerating layer. Further, there is provided in another aspect of the present invention an improved layered photoresponsive imaging member comprised of a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, and in contact therewith a hole transport layer comprised of oxygenated polysilylenes; and wherein the photogenerating pigment is dispersed in an oxygenated polysilylene selected for the hole transport layer. In addition, there is provided in accordance with the present invention an improved photoresponsive imaging member comprised of a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer comprised of a photogenerating pigment dispersed in a polysilylene composition, and a hole transport layer comprised of an oxygenated polysilylene. The layer with the oxygenated polysilylene hole transporting compound can be located as the top layer of the imaging member, or alternatively it may be situated between the supporting substrate and the photogenerating layer. With further respect to the present invention, the imaging members are particularly useful in electrophotographic, and especially xerographic imaging processes, particularly those wherein development is accomplished with dry or liquid developer compositions.
Photoresponsive imaging members containing therein, for example, polysilylenes as hole transporting components are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,551, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference. More specifically, there is illustrated in this patent a polysilylene hole transporting compound for use in layered imaging members wherein the polysilylene is of the formula as illustrated in claim 1, for example, and wherein the substituents R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4, R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 are independently selected from a group consisting of alkyl, aryl, substituted alkyl, substituted aryl and alkoxy; and n, m and p are numbers that represent the percentage of the monomer unit and the total polymer compound. There are also illustrated in the aforementioned patent layered photoresponsive imaging members which are useful in electrophotographic imaging apparatuses wherein development is accomplished with liquid inks, which member is comprised of a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, and a polysilylene hole transporting layer, wherein the polysilylenes are of the formulas as recited, for example, in claim 1. This patent also discloses that the hole transporting polysilylenes may be useful as binder polymers for photogenerating substances comprised of organic materials, and furthermore details in FIG. 3 a negatively charged photoresponsive imaging member comprised of a conductive supporting substrate, an optional adhesive blocking layer, a photogenerating layer dispersed in a polysilylene resinous binder, and a hole transporting layer comprised of a poly(methyl phenyl silylene). Also of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,729 which discloses photo and radiation sensitive organo polymeric materials which have at least one unit represented by the general formula as illustrated in column 2, beginning at line 15, which formula includes therein silicon components. Other patents that are of background interest in that, for example, they illustrate layered photoresponsive imaging members containing various hole transporting substances such as aryl amines include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,265,990; 4,251,612; 4,115,116; 4,047,949; and 4,081,274.
Although the above described imaging members are useful for their intended purposes, there remains a need for improved members. More specifically, there remains a need for imaging members wherein there are selected oxygenated polysilylenes thereby enabling, for example, their usefulness in electrophotographic imaging apparatuses wherein liquid developers are selected. Also, there is a need for economical imaging members wherein there is selected for the photogenerating pigment binder of the same component as selected for the hole transporting layer. There is also a need for new hole transporting components that are useful in layered imaging members, which members are flexible, and wherein the binders for the photogenerating pigments are not small molecules such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, but rather are high molecular weight polysilylenes which are compatible with, for example, liquid developers. Additionally, there is a need for imaging members wherein the layers possess improved adhesion characteristics in some embodiments, and are flexible.